Mariano de la Mata

Arriving in Brazil in July 1931, Father Mariano began his missionary service as a cooperating vicar in the parish of Taquaritinga, located in the State of São Paulo. In 1933, he was assigned to the Saint Augustine College of São Paulo, where he taught natural sciences with passion and assumed the direction of the establishment. From 1945 to 1948, he also held the position of Vice-Provincial Superior of his order. He then continued his apostolate as a teacher and superior of the vice-provincial seminary in Engenheiro Schmidt. In 1961, he returned to teach at the Saint Augustine College of São Paulo, while becoming vicar of the Saint Augustine parish and spiritual director of the Saint Rita of Cascia Workshops (Oficinas de Santa Rita). Father Mariano devoted himself body and soul to the service of the most destitute. His most remarkable work was the accompaniment and development of more than 200 Saint Rita workshops. These charitable structures allowed disadvantaged people to make sturdy and affordable clothing for the needy. Nicknamed the "messenger of charity," he tirelessly traveled the streets of São Paulo to visit the sick, the elderly, and children, without his advanced age or declining eyesight slowing his apostolic zeal.

At the beginning of 1983, Father Mariano was diagnosed with cancer. Despite surgery to remove a malignant tumor, the disease progressed. He passed away holily on April 5, 1983, in São Paulo, surrounded by an immense reputation for holiness. His mortal remains are preserved and venerated in the Church of Saint Augustine in São Paulo. The cause for beatification and canonization was officially opened on December 14, 1996, in the Archdiocese of São Paulo. The diocesan inquiry took place in 1997, with supplementary investigations conducted in Palencia (Spain) and Cafayate (Argentina). After the validation of the process by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1999, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues on December 20, 2004, conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

The miracle accepted for his beatification concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing of a young Brazilian child. In 1996, the latter was struck by a truck, suffering a severe head injury and a cerebral hemorrhage that plunged him into a coma. After intense prayers were addressed to the intercession of Father Mariano by his family and the school community, the child recovered in a total and rapid manner. This miracle was officially approved by the Vatican in 2005. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on November 5, 2006, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Paulo, under the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The spirituality of Blessed Mariano de la Mata is based on evangelical simplicity, active charity, and a deep Eucharistic and Marian devotion. Described as a "saint of the everyday," he was able to embody the Augustinian ideal of fraternal life and selfless service. His love for creation was also manifested through his close bond with nature, flowers, and animals. His legacy remains alive in Brazil through the Saint Rita Workshops and the memory of his humble kindness, which continues to inspire the faithful and the members of the Order of Saint Augustine.